VARIOUS

The Iowa United Nations Association celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with an exhibition of posters drawn for a 1949 UNESCO filmstrip developed to spark interest in human rights. Additional images come from international graphic artists depicting a specific article or the declaration as a whole. October 2-12 at the Iowa City Public Library.

VARIOUS

Us three. Us brothers. Us kings, inseparable. Three boys tear through their childhood, in the midst of their young parents' volatile love that makes and unmakes the family many times over. While Manny and Joel grow into versions of their loving and unpredictable father, Ma seeks to shelter her youngest, Jonah, in the cocoon of home. More sensitive and conscious than his older siblings, Jonah increasingly embraces an imagined world all his own.

With a screenplay by Dan Kitrosser and Jeremiah Zagar based on the celebrated Justin Torres (University of Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate), We The Animals is a visceral coming-of-age story propelled by layered performances from its astounding cast - including three talented, young first-time actors - and stunning animated sequences which bring Jonah's torn inner world to life. Drawing from his documentary background, director Jeremiah Zagar creates an immersive portrait of working class family life and brotherhood.

12:00 PM

Alex Salkever, writer, futurist and technology leader, will discuss his new co-authored book, Your Happiness Was Hacked: Why Tech is Winning The Battle to Control Your Brain - And How To Fight Back. This noon event, sponsored by Hills Bank, includes lunch and a chance to hear from this Fortune columnist and thought leader. Tuesday, Oct. 2, 12 p.m. at MERGE, 136 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA 52240.
NOTE: Registration for lunch has now closed. If you have not registered, please feel free to join us for Alex's presentation and bring a brown bag lunch.

04:00 PM

Join the University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections for an open house featuring over 20 unique manuscripts dating from the 13th through the 19th century. Explore the artistry and craftsmanship that went into every object and witness the evolution of book production over the centuries. This is a very special opportunity to see manuscripts temporarily on loan to the University alongside some staff favorites from our own collection. Tuesday, Oct. 2, 4-7 p.m. in The University of Iowa Main Library, 3rd floor Reading Room.

07:00 PM

Three poets, including the Civic Poet from fellow U.S. City of Literature, Seattle, and a Writers’ Workshop graduate, will read. Anastacia-Reneé, Seattle’s Civic Poet and 2015-17 Hugo House Poet-in-Residence, reads from (v.) (Gramma Poetry). Jane Gregory is from Tucson and lives in Oakland, and reads from her new collection, Yeah No (The Song Cave). Emily Sieu Liebowitz grew up in the San Francisco area. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she co-edits LVNG Magazine and lives in Brooklyn, New York, reads from National Park (Gramma Poetry). Tuesday, Oct. 2, 7 p.m. at Prairie Lights.

07:00 PM

An evening of literary history and music, celebrating the 200th anniversary of Lord Byron’s epic poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, and the poem’s international influence; featuring artistic and musical interjections by William Turner, Alexander Pushkin, and Hector Berlioz.This event has been canceled.

Oct. 3

09:00 AM

Celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein with a public reading of the novel. Sign up to read Wednesday, October 3 at the Old Capitol East Entrance or Old Capitol Supreme Court Chamber in inclement weather. 20 minute reading slots are available starting at 9:00 a.m. and ending at 6:00 p.m., or until the book ends.

07:00 PM

Autry, a Des Moines author who is a former Fortune 500 executive, will read from his new book, The Cold Warrior: When Flying was Dangerous and Sex Was Safe. Wednesday, Oct. 3, 7 p.m. at Prairie Lights.

12:00 PM

The LitCity project is a digital library and website which features and highlights important Iowa City literary landmarks, including locations where writers lived, worked, gave readings, socialized and were inspired by the town. The site comes equipped with a mapping component for users to pinpoint certain locations in town where these writers spent time writing and socializing in town. This technology allows you to locate places such as where Kurt Vonnegut resided while living in Iowa City, or how Flannery O’Connor considered St. Mary’s Church on East Jefferson Street a home away from home. Essentially, LitCity takes us on a virtual tour of the town, while getting to know a little bit more about the lives of these literature icons.

05:00 PM

One of the world’s best known light artists, Gerry Hofstetter transforms buildings, monuments, and natural landscapes throughout the world into temporary works of art with spectacular light projections. He has illuminated icebergs, the Colosseum, Great Pyramids, Washington Cathedral, among many others.
He will stop in Iowa City for his current project, the Light & Art Tour of the United States, which will highlight one monument in each state. After his Creative Matters talk, he will showcase a light performance on the side of the Old Capitol Museum. Thursday, October 4, 5 p.m. at The Old Capitol.

07:00 PM

Dina Nayeri has been named the seventh recipient of the Paul Engle Prize, presented by the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature organization.
The prize, established in 2011, honors an individual who, like Paul Engle, represents a pioneering spirit in the world of literature through writing, editing, publishing, or teaching, and whose active participation in the larger issues of the day has contributed to the betterment of the world through the literary arts.
Nayeri will receive the prize, which includes a one-of-a-kind work of art and $10,000, during a special ceremony as part of the Iowa City Book Festival on Thursday, Oct. 4. The event is at 7:00 p.m. at the Coralville Public Library, and is free and open to the public. Reception and book signing to follow.
The Paul Engle Prize is made possible through the generous support of the City of Coralville, which is home to 11 permanent sculptures with artistic and literary ties to Iowa.

08:00 PM

WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE is a twice-monthly podcast in the style of community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff’s Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events. Tickets at The Englert.

05:00 PM

Join us and celebrate Iowa City Public Library’s Westgate Collection of Original Children's Book Art. The Library owns over 60 pieces of original art, including works by internationally-known artists like Dr. Seuss, Ezra Jack Keats, Taro Yashima, Charles Schultz, and Margaret and H.A. Rey, we well as art by renowned illustrators with a connection to the Iowa City area, such as Cynthia Jabar, Ellie Simmons, and Will Thomson. The book art is back on display throughout the Children’s Room after a year-long absence for preservation efforts. We will also unveil our most recent acquisitions from Claudia McGehee and Jennifer Black Reinhardt.

The Downtown Gallery Walk is a self-guided tour of downtown shops, galleries and other locations that have curated feature artists and pieces of art. This free, family-friendly event requires no tickets or reservations. Friday, Oct. 5, 5-7 p.m., Iowa City Public Library Children's Room.

07:00 PM

In the lead-up to the 2018 midterm elections, the issues of gerrymandering, voter registration, and voter suppression are on the minds of many. Ari Berman, a senior reporter for Mother Jones and a Fellow at The Nation Institute, is an expert on these topics and will address them and others in this Book Festival talk. His book, Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America, was published in August 2015 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and is as relevant as ever. This event is co-sponsored by the Johnson County League of Women Voters and the University of Iowa Public Policy Center. Friday, Oct. 5, 7 p.m. at the Iowa City Public Library, mtg. Room A.

Oct. 6

10:00 AM

Representing unique experiences from the border towns of Mexico, the mystical land of Azerbaijan, and the Archipelago of the Philippines, authors Chuy Renteria, Sadagat Aliyeva, & Melissa Palma, share stories from Iowa's first collection of bicultural stories. Reading followed by a Q&A from with series editor, Andrea Wilson, of the Iowa Writers' House. Saturday, Oct. 6, 10 a.m. at the Iowa City Public Library, mtg. room A.

10:00 AM

Wayétu Moore's debut novel, She Would Be King, was released by Graywolf Press in September, 2018. Moore is the founder of One Moore Book, a non-profit organization that encourages reading among children of countries with low literacy rates and underrepresented cultures by publishing culturally relevant books that speak to their truths, and by creating bookstores and reading corners that serve their communities. Her first bookstore opened in Monrovia, Liberia in 2015. Her writing can be found in Guernica Magazine, The Rumpus, The Atlantic Magazine and other publications. Saturday, Oct. 6, 10 a.m. at Prairie Lights.

10:00 AM

Sjón, born in Reykjavik in 1962, is a celebrated Icelandic novelist. He won the Nordic Council’s Literary Prize for his novel The Blue Fox (the Nordic countries’ equivalent of the Man Booker Prize) and the novel From The Mouth Of The Whale was shortlisted for both the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. His novel Moonstone – The Boy Who Never Was was awarded every Icelandic literature prize, among them the 2013 Icelandic Literary Prize. His latest published work is the definite edition of the trilogy CoDex 1962. His appearance is supported by the Icelandic Literature Center. Saturday, Oct. 6, 10 a.m. at MERGE, 136 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA 52240.

10:00 AM

Writers discuss how the current political landscape affects their work and the role politics should play, if at all, in their writing. Saturday, Oct. 6, 10 a.m., Iowa City Masonic Building, 312 E College St, Iowa City, IA 52240. It features Rumena Buzarovska, Rick Harsch, Nancy Rommelmann, and William Kent Krueger.

10:00 AM

Tim Harwood is a broadcaster, writer, and sports historian who has covered sports in northeast Iowa since 2005. In his book, Ball Hawks, he recounts the story of the Waterloo Hawks, an NBA team that competed during the league’s first season, 1949 to 1950. Saturday, Oct. 6, 10 a.m. at FilmScene, 118 E College St, Iowa City, IA 52240.

10:00 AM

Denise Bogard has been writing professionally for more than 30 years. Her first novel, The Middle Step, was released in 2015. Denise is the founder of St. Louis Writers Workshop and coordinated the writing program at Lift For Life Academy charter middle and high school in downtown St. Louis. Her new novel After Elise was named a finalist in the 2017 Faulkner-Wisdom Creative Writing Contest. Saturday, Oct. 6, 10 a.m. at Poindexter Coffee, (at the Graduate Hotel), 210 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA 52240.

11:30 AM

While author and illustrator Silvia Hidalgo (who was born in Costa Rica and moved to the U.S. in 1998) was studying for her citizenship test, she took to illustrating the different facts about government and American history to more easily absorb the information. She’s collected that information here, as a freshly designed and illustrated two-color guide to all things America. How to Be an American is a beautiful object, an innovative educational tool, and a timely reminder of the importance of understanding and upholding the core values of our democracy. Saturday, Oct. 6, 11:30 a.m. at the Iowa City Public Library, mtg. room A.

11:30 AM

Mary Kubica is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of four novels. A former high school history teacher, Mary holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in History and American Literature. Her first novel The Good Girl, was an Indie Next pick in August of 2014, received a Strand Critics Nomination for Best First Novel and was a nominee in the Goodreads Choice Awards in Debut Goodreads Author and in Mystery & Thriller for 2014. Saturday, Oct. 6, 11:30 a.m. at Prairie Lights.

11:30 AM

James Anderson was born in Seattle and raised in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. For many years he worked in book publishing. Other jobs have included logging, commercial fishing and, briefly, truck driver. He currently divides his time between Ashland, Ore., and the Four Corners region of the American Southwest. Lullaby Road was released in January 2018. Saturday, Oct. 6, 11:30 a.m. at Poindexter Coffee, (at the Graduate Hotel), 210 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA 52240.

11:30 AM

Sunni Overend is a graphic design graduate, and the daughter of the late, award-winning children’s author Jenni Overend. Sunni worked briefly in creative advertising before building an online fashion store and concurrently wrote several contemporary fiction manuscripts. In 2015 she signed a two-book deal with HarperCollins Publishers and now lives with her architect husband in Melbourne where she writes full-time. Saturday, Oct. 6, 11:30 a.m., MERGE, 136 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA 52240.

01:00 PM

Surface Tension is Mike Mullin's fourth novel. After witnessing an act of domestic terrorism while training on his bike, Jake is found near death, with a serious head injury and unable to remember the plane crash or the aftermath that landed him in the hospital. A terrorist leader’s teenage daughter, Betsy, is sent to kill Jake and eliminate him as a possible witness. When Jake’s mother blames his head injury for his tales of attempted murder, he has to rely on his girlfriend, Laurissa, to help him escape the killers and the law enforcement agents convinced that Jake himself had a role in the crash.
Saturday, Oct. 6 at 1:00 p.m. in the Iowa City Public Library Teen Room.

01:00 PM

Dan Kaufman is a musician and writer living in Brooklyn, New York. He has written previously about the Spanish Civil War for The Nation and the New York Times. His book, The Fall of Wisconsin traces the history of the political heritage of Wisconsin, and the overturn when the state went Republican for the first time in three decades in 2010. Kaufman, a Wisconsin native, has been covering the story for several years and traces how the state’s tradition of progressivism was undone. Saturday, Oct. 6, 1 p.m. at the Iowa City Public Library, mtg. room A.

01:00 PM

William Kent Krueger currently makes his living as a full-time author. He’s been married for over 40 years to a marvelous woman who is a retired attorney. Krueger writes a mystery series set in the north woods of Minnesota. His work has received a number of awards, including the Minnesota Book Award, the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award, the Anthony Award, the Barry Award, the Dilys Award, and the Friends of American Writers Prize. His last eight novels were all New York Times bestsellers. Desolation Mountain, number seventeen in his Cork O’Connor series, was released in August. Saturday, Oct. 6, 1 p.m. at Prairie Lights.

01:00 PM

What authors do you love to read, in your own or other literatures? Has one writer or one particular text been the igniting experience that opened up the path of writing for you? Saturday, Oct. 6, 1 p.m., Iowa City Masonic Building, 312 E College St, Iowa City, IA 52240. Features Denise Bogard Max Allan Collins, and Chandramohan Sathyanathan.

01:00 PM

Rick Harsch appeared on the American literary scene in 1997 with The Driftless Trilogy. Born and bred in the Midwest, Harsch received degrees in sociology and history from UW La Crosse and lived there off and on for 22 years. The author lives in Izola still, with his wife and two children. He teaches about 100 hours a year at a maritime academy in Trieste, and has co-authored numerous scientific works in the maritime field. Voices After Evelyn will be released in October 2018. Saturday, Oct. 6, 1 p.m. at Poindexter Coffee, (at the Graduate Hotel), 210 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA 52240.

02:00 PM

A presentation of rare materials relating to the creation of the novel and its author, with Peter Balestrieri, Science Fiction and Popular Culture Curator, University of Iowa Libraries.
Saturday, October 6, 2-4 p.m. at University of Iowa Special Collections, 100 Main Library (LIB)

02:30 PM

Max Allan Collins is a frequent Mystery Writers of America “Edgar” nominee in both fiction and non-fiction categories, he has earned an unprecedented 18 Private Eye Writers of America “Shamus” nominations, winning for his Nathan Heller novels, True Detective and Stolen Away. His graphic novel Road to Perdition (1998) is the basis of the Academy Award-winning 2002 film. His many comics credits include the syndicated strip Dick Tracy (1977 – 1993), and his own Ms. Tree (longest-running private eye comic book). His new book is Scarface and the Untouchable: Al Capone, Eliot Ness, and the Battle for Chicago. Saturday, Oct. 6, 2:30 p.m. at the Iowa City Public Library, mtg. room A.

02:30 PM

Mindy Mejia writes what she likes to read: contemporary, plot-driven books that deliver both entertainment and substance. Mindy received a BA from the University of Minnesota and an MFA from Hamline University. Apart from brief stops in Iowa City and Galway, she’s lived in the Twin Cities her entire life and held a succession of jobs from an apple orchard laborer to a global credit manager. Her new book, Leave No Trace, was released in September. Saturday, Oct. 6, 2:30 p.m. at Prairie Lights.

02:30 PM

Nancy Rommelmann is an author and journalist whose work appears in the Wall Street Journal, the LA Weekly, The New York Times, Reason and other publications. She is the author of To the Bridge: A True Story of Motherhood and Murder, as well as several previous works of fiction and nonfiction. She lives in New York City and Portland, Oregon. Saturday, Oct. 6, 2:30 p.m. at MERGE, 136 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA 52240.

02:30 PM

Place and setting are key in many kinds of writing. How do you convey a sense of place or paint a unique landscape? In what ways does location contribute to your writing? Can a literary work truly be ‘universal,’ or will place always determine how a piece is understood? Saturday, Oct. 6, 2:30 p.m. at Iowa City Masonic Building, 312 E College St, Iowa City, IA 52240. It features Bejan Matur, Usman Ali, Sunni Overend, Sjon, and James Anderson.

02:30 PM

The rapper and actor Common will discuss his memoir, One Day It’ll All Make Sense in this special Book Festival appearance during a visit to Iowa City sponsored by the University of Iowa Lecture Committee and other sponsors. In this candid, New York Times bestselling memoir, Common tells of his childhood on Chicago’s South side through to his emergence as one of rap’s biggest names. The poet Maya Angelou said, “His story is the story of all young people trying to grow up. His saga reminds the reader that love liberates and poverty cripples. Common writes beautifully, like the poet he is.” Saturday, Oct. 6, 2:30 p.m. at The Englert.

04:00 PM

When The Storm Lake Times, a tiny Iowa twice-weekly, won a Pulitzer Prize for taking on big corporate agri-industry for poisoning the local rivers and lake, it was a coup on many counts: a strike for the well being of a rural community; a triumph for that endangered species, a family-run rural news weekly; and a salute to the special talents of a fierce and formidable native son, Art Cullen.
In this candid and timely book, Cullen describes how the rural prairies have changed dramatically over his career, as seen from the vantage point of a farming and meatpacking town of 15,000 in Northwest Iowa. Politics, agriculture, the environment, and immigration are all themes in Storm Lake, a chronicle of a resilient newspaper, as much a survivor as its town. Saturday, Oct. 6, 4 p.m. at the Iowa City Public Library, mtg. room A.

04:00 PM

Fatima Farheen Mirza was born in 1991 and raised in California. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a recipient of the Michener-Copernicus Fellowship. Her debut novel is A Place For Us. Saturday, Oct. 6, 4 p.m. at Prairie Lights.

04:00 PM

David Small was born and raised in Detroit. Recognition for David’s books include The Caldecott Medal (So You Want To Be President?, 2001), The Caldecott Honor (The Gardener, 1998), National Book Award Finalist (Stitches, 2009 and The Underneath, 2008), Christopher Award (That Book Woman, 2009 and The Gardener, 1998), ABBY Award Honor Book (The Gardener, 1997 and The Library, 1995), The New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year (The Library, 1995), and a Featured Selection for more than 10 years on Reading Rainbow (Imogene’s Antlers, 1985). Home After Dark was released in September 2018. Saturday, Oct. 6, 4 p.m. at MERGE, 136 S Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA 52240

04:00 PM

What are the challenges, consequences, and strategies for controlling a life online, in social media, the 24/7 stream of emails, endless access to others’ words? How do texting, blogging, posting, and tweeting affect your writing. How does the preponderance of outlets for free writing impact your ability to be paid for your work? Saturday, Oct. 6, 4 p.m., Iowa City Masonic Building, 312 E College St, Iowa City, IA 52240.

11:30 AM

Coffee with Dan features conversations intended to foster a more thoughtful community, one characterized both by care and by contemplation. Led by Dan Boscaljon, this Coffee with Dan panel features four guests: Jeff Charis-Carlson (former Press-Citizen/Register reporter), Lyz Lenz (freelance writer/editor), Stacey Walker (Linn County Supervisor), and Kurt Friese (Johnson County Supervisor). They will speak to the themes generated by four of the authors at this year’s Book Festival: Ari Berman, Silvia Hidalgo, Dan Kaufman, and Art Cullen. The central question for the panel is: What possibilities for citizen political engagement can take seriously the changes to our current political landscape without resorting to reactionary partisanship? The point is less to arrive at a definitive answer than to understand how literature, business, governance, and community action all contribute to the vision of a just society.
The format: Dan will hold a short conversation with each of the panelists about how business, governance, and literary journalism interweave – and what Iowans can do about it as the November 2018 election looms. He then will facilitate a conversation among the panelists, highlighting how differences can be respectfully maintained. Those who are curious about specific questions are invited to email questions to coffeewithdanielb@gmail.com by 8 p.m. on Oct. 6. Although Dan cannot guarantee each question will be asked, he will work to integrate as many questions as possible into the conversation.

01:00 PM

Students and teachers from Longfellow Elementary School share their book chronicling the century of history for this Iowa City elementary, which features interviews, pictures, documents, and more.
Sunday, Oct. 7, 1 p.m. at Prairie Lights.

01:30 PM

Interested in learning more about the community's new Literary Kiosks? UI Libraries staff will hold a community feedback and information session at 1:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 7, at MERGE. We’re anxious to learn how you think these kiosks can become part of Iowa City’s vibrant literature community and where we should locate them.

02:00 PM

This performance workshop features two writers, one African and the other African American, in direct conversation with each other, interrogating themes of family, heartbreak, class, and childhood. Anchored in the maternal audacity of Toni Morrison's Beloved, Derek Nnuro and Tameka Cage Conley will perform a series of letters written to each other about their own maternal stories. The matriarchal thread is of particular interest to both writer-performers, as Nnuro's Ashanti culture is matriarchal, and Cage-Conley’s manifested as such as well. By necessity, the paternal has a heartbeat in these letters, for how can the maternal be explored completely separate from the paternal? This performance is culled from a unique socio-political moment in the US, in which questions arise constantly about how “an American” is defined and how we might collectively and individually feel about our country—as homeland and as motherland—is challenged. After the performance, workshop attendants will be invited to delve into their own origins, histories, and turbulence along the way, and write about them in epistolary form. Sunday, Oct. 7, 2-4 p.m. at the Iowa City Public Library, mtg. room A.

02:30 PM

Eduardo Halfon, who is a visiting instructor at the University of Iowa’s Spanish Creative Writing MFA program, will read from his latest novel, Mourning. The book was recently translated into English and is available from Bellvue Literary Press. He will read in both English and Spanish. A native of Guatemala, Halfon is the author of 14 books published in Spanish and three novels published in English. Sunday, Oct. 7, 2:30 p.m. at Prairie Lights.

04:00 PM

Cancelled due to rain - Start at the Iowa Writers’ House (332 E Davenport St.) for a walking tour of literary sights in downtown Iowa City. We will be guided by the maps and information included in the Lit City Project. The tour will finish at The Mill in time for the Roast of Iowa City. Sunday, Oct. 7, 4-5:30 p.m., begins at the Iowa Writers' House.

05:30 PM

An annual event where we invite members of our community to take their most humorous stab at puncturing the inflated ego of our fair city. Join us as selected roasters gather on stage to gently and not-so-gently poke fun at Iowa City.
5:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 7 at The Mill, 120 E Burlington St, Iowa City, IA 52240

06:30 PM

An advocate for improving care through the end of life, Dr. Byock is the author of The Four Things That Matter Most: A Book About Living and The Best Care Possible, as well as numerous journal articles and opinion columns. As one of the foremost palliative-care physicians in the country, Dr. Byock argues that how we die is among the biggest national crises facing us today.

The Four Things that Matter Most, originally published in 2004, has changed the lives of thousands who have turned to it for guidance, comfort, and help to mend relationships before it’s too late. Pre-registration is encouraged. Register here or by calling Barbara Barrows at Iowa City Hospice at 319-351-5665. Doors open at 6 p.m.

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